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Media Post - The impact of SES on Child Development

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Media Post - The impact of SES on Child Development

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The Cutting Edge

Health inequities can be measured in children as young as 5 years old, UCLA researchers have found. The results of this nationwide study, conducted with the help of kindergarten teachers, contribute to a growing body of literature revealing that children of color who are also poor face greater health inequities than their white counterparts.

The study was conducted using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), an assessment tool that measures children's physical, social, emotional and language development. Researchers trained kindergarten teachers in 98 school districts across the United States to administer the EDI to more than 185,000 kindergarteners from 2010 to 2017, with UCLA piloting the tool in Santa Ana in 2009 in partnership with First Five Orange County.

After analyzing and correlating the results according to where the children lived, the investigators found that 30% of children in the lowest-income neighborhoods were vulnerable in one or more domains of health development, compared to 17% of children in higher-income settings.

The researchers also found that income-related vulnerabilities varied substantially among children from different ethnic and racial groups. Black children, for example, were at highest risk, followed by Latina/o children. Asian children were at lowest risk. The differences in developmental vulnerability between Black children and white children were most pronounced at the higher socioeconomic levels and tended to narrow for Black and white children from lower-income neighborhoods.

These early disparities can have a profound influence on children's long-term development, leading to higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, drug use, mental health disorders and dementia as adults. "Many other studies have highlighted patterns of income and racial inequality in health and educational outcomes. What this study shows is that these patterns of inequality are clearly evident and measurable before kids start school," says Neal Halfon, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities at UCLA and professor of pediatrics, public health and public policy in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

The report also underscores the value of understanding these inequities at the most micro levels, which "helps cities and local grassroots efforts develop targeted supports and services," says Lisa Stanley, DrPH, project director for Transforming Early Childhood Community Systems at the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities.

UCLA researchers have made this data accessible to local communities to help them develop their own initiatives. "Only by addressing the historical exploitation and exclusion of marginalized communities can we begin to repair the pains and exploitative practices of the past and redesign our community systems so that all children thrive," says Efren Aguilar, head of geographic information systems at the center.

- Jane Murcia
"Measuring Equity from the Start: Disparities in the Health Development of U.S. Kindergartners," Health Affairs, October 2020

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The Impact of Poverty on Childhood Development Noted in Kids as Young as 5

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The Cutting Edge Health inequities can be measured in children as young as 5 years old, UCLA researchers have found. The results of this nationwide study, conducted with the help of kindergarten teachers, contribute to a growing body of literature revealing that children of color who are also poor face greater health inequities than their white counterparts.

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Within the United States, education is commonly regarded as an equalizer to opportunity and upward mobility. In reality, there are countless impediments in the system that exclude low-income children from reaping the full benefits of education long before they enter the classroom.

Education starts well before a child enters the classroom.
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Education starts well before a child enters the classroom. Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child noted that "brains are built over time, from the bottom up," beginning before birth and continuing into adulthood. While development may continue into adulthood, the brain develops more during the first five years of a child's life than at any other point, with more than 1 million new neural connections being made every second. In fact, 90% of the brain is developed by the time a child is five or six years of age. Growing research on early childhood development has confirmed the importance of supporting brain development during the early years. Thanks to studies conducted by organizations like The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, we now know there is a direct connection between early childhood development and social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development outcomes, linking healthy development to school readiness and success in life. As noted by Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child, "Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation."

The ratio of age-appropriate books per child in low-income neighborhoods is 1 book per 300 children, compared to middle-income neighborhoods where the ratio is 13 books per child.

With critical learning and development occurring well before children enter a classroom, the responsibility to support early childhood development falls on parents and caregivers. This puts low-income students at a significant disadvantage, resulting in a substantial school readiness gap that has negative lifelong implications. Children from low-income households often lack access to books, sing-along toys, interactive games, and other early learning materials that support a child's healthy development. To put it into perspective, the ratio of age-appropriate books per child in low-income neighborhoods is 1 book per 300 children, compared to middle-income neighborhoods where the ratio is 13 books per child.

When families lack access to these essential learning materials, children miss out on the many positive benefits of early literacy learning. When you read to your child, you teach them how to acquire, organize, and use knowledge. You foster their cognitive development by engaging them in thinking, exploring, and problem-solving. You enhance their language and literacy skills by introducing new words and stimulating their understanding and ability to use and comprehend those words. You expand their social, emotional, and behavioral skills by building their knowledge of the world through the narrative of a book, which develops listening skills, emotion management, and problem-solving skills. In sum, early literacy is an integral piece of a child's brain development.

Other impediments, like the inexistence of universal child care, also stand in the way of low-income children's healthy development and access to education. With the cost of child care programs averaging $14,117 annually per child, a rampant 41% increase compared to pre-pandemic prices, this service is unattainable for most low-income families, meaning that parents and caregivers must take on the role of an early educator in addition to the many roles they already assume as a parent. So, now not only do families need to have access to literacy materials to teach the child, but it means they also need to be able to devote time. Unfortunately, time is another unattainable factor for many low-income families, as parents and caregivers work extensive hours and multiple jobs to make ends meet. With less time to spend with their children, children consequently miss out on the high-quality, development-stimulating experiences their more affluent counterparts receive by attending child care. Stress can also be attributed to the various hurdles standing between low-income children and healthy development. While stress takes many forms, low-income families are, once again, disproportionately affected. New research has linked poverty to stress, uncovering the toxic consequences on early childhood development, including damage to the brain's executive function and the regulation of emotion and attention.

"How do you become literate when there are no available resources?"

Susan Neuman, New York University

The lack of access to learning materials extends beyond the household. There is a severe shortage of print materials available to the public in many low-income communities. Many do not have public libraries, and those that do are met with limited items and hours of operation. According to the U.S. Department of Education, a staggering 2.5 million children across the country are enrolled in districts where there are no libraries. However, the lack of print materials does not just refer to the free resources available at a public library; it also includes items available for purchase. This harsh reality for low-income communities is known as book deserts. Research shows that living in a book desert can impose severe constraints on school readiness. New York University childhood and literacy education researcher, Susan Neuman, encapsulates the harsh consequences of book deserts by proclaiming, "How do you become literate when there are no available resources?"

As we can see, poverty is a cement barrier standing between low-income families and their ability to stimulate healthy early childhood development so their children can reap the full benefits of education. Since raising a child costs roughly $14,846 per year, while the annual salary of a full-time minimum-wage worker receiving the federal minimum wage ($7.25) is only $15,080, it's nearly impossible for low-income families to stretch their budgets even further to include books, let alone child care. When compared to food, rent, utilities, and clothing, books become a luxury item forced to take a backseat. With 61% of low-income families not having any children's books in their homes and only 48% of low-income children entering school prepared, the extent that poverty negatively impacts school readiness is clear. Unfortunately, when a child starts school behind, they are more likely to stay behind.

While this form of poverty is seemingly challenging to address, growing research in recent years has found effective interventions. A study on poverty's impact on children's cognitive, emotional, and brain development, in particular, has opened doors for potential policies that would support children in their early years. The New York Times reported that the study provided low-income mothers with monthly cash stipends of $333 for the first year of their child's life. The findings were remarkable, revealing increased brain activity in babies, highlighting the sensitivity of children's brains to their environment while offering direct evidence that poverty itself can hold children back from day one.

In addition to research, there are many things that we as a community can do at the local, state, and federal levels. Here are some ways that you can make a significant difference in a child's life that will follow them for years:
1. Donate Books
Donating new and gently used books helps get books in the hands of those who need them most. Many human services organizations and nonprofits alike have created literacy programs to better support low-income families. Even organizations that you wouldn't think accept books oftentimes do - food and diaper banks included. Other great places to donate new and used books are Head Start Programs, local libraries, and Community Family Resource Centers.

Donating new and gently used books and supplies helps get them into the hands of those who need them most.
Moms Helping Moms

Many organizations have expanded their services in recent years to help get books into low-income communities. Moms Helping Moms Foundation (MHM), founded in 2011 as a diaper bank, quickly expanded its operation to provide books and literacy materials when Founder and Co-Executive Director, Bridget Cutler, realized the potential MHM had to help families beyond diapers. Through its Early Literacy Program, MHM distributes literature in both English and Spanish to parents and caregivers throughout New Jersey. Items under this category include books, which MHM ensures each child served receives at least one with every wish list fulfillment, and early literacy learning materials that discuss the importance of early reading, talking, and singing with children. Since 2017, MHM has donated nearly 25,000 books along with literacy handouts to New Jersey residents in need. They rely on donations of books and literacy kits to provide these essential items. You can donate new and gently used children's books by bringing or mailing items directly to their warehouse in Warren, New Jersey, or by purchasing them from their Amazon Wish List.
2. Get Crafty: Make Literacy Kits!
Literacy kits are also a great way to support a child's early development and can be a fun craft opportunity for volunteers. Love Letters for Literacy helps families in need by donating handmade literacy packets to make teaching the letters of the alphabet easy and fun! By partnering with nonprofits around the country, like Moms Helping Moms Foundation, literacy kits are reaching low-income children in underserved communities. Visit their website to learn more!

Print materials are another great way to get literacy kits into these communities. Moms Helping Moms Foundation and diaper banks across the country have partnered with the National Diaper Bank Network and Too Small To Fail to provide informational handouts that families can use to support their child's early development. This initiative, called Diaper Time Is Talk Time, aims to spread awareness, promote the importance of early brain and language development, and empower parents and caregivers with the tools to talk, read, and sing with their little ones. Learn more about the program and check out their free handouts here!
3. Host a Book Drive
Book drives are a fun and educational way to collect these much-needed items while simultaneously raising awareness in the community. Best of all, anyone and any group can host a book drive - individuals, schools, service groups, student organizations, local businesses - you name it. At Moms Helping Moms Foundation, they offer both in-person and virtual drive opportunities, as do many other organizations these days. Learn more about hosting an in-person or virtual book drive by visiting their website!
4. Start A Free Library!
While free libraries have been around for quite some time, the COVID-19 pandemic drew new attention to them as many communities found their local libraries and book shops shut down. Starting a free library is a simple and easy way to bring the community together while increasing the availability of free literacy materials. The "library" itself can take many different forms. The most common approach is to perch a cabinet-style box at the curb of your house or building, but you can practically makeshift it however you'd like.

Starting a free library is a simple and easy way to bring the community together while increasing the availability of free literacy materials.
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The Little Free Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Hudson, Wisconsin. Their vision is to have a Little Free Library in every community so every reader can have a book. With over 125,000 Little Free Libraries in 100+ countries, their global network is making an immense difference in communities across the globe. Get involved by starting your own, or supporting your local, free library! It's simple, easy, and fun - and the Little Free Library has a step-by-step tool kit to help you get started.
5. Use Your Voice: Advocate and Raise Awareness
Growing research in recent years has opened doors for government intervention. Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced S.1398 The Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act to help promote school readiness for all young children by ensuring they have access to a supportive learning environment where they can stimulate healthy early childhood development. Use your voice to raise awareness of this bill by contacting U.S. Senators and asking for their support. The NCSL has an excellent letter template example that you can use to format your letter.

In addition to contacting government officials, you can use your voice in the community and on social media. TikTok user Araba Maze used TikTok to bring awareness of Baltimore's book deserts. Her journey started while reading to her nieces on their stoop in Baltimore, Maryland, when she noticed other little kids gathering around. She began hosting "Stoop Storytimes" every week and was eventually inspired to become a librarian. After realizing she still wasn't reaching the children in her neighborhood, for there are many barriers to access, she entered the United Way's Baltimore County Changemaker Challenge to help increase access with free book vending machines in everyday places like laundromats, convenience stores, and train stations. To help raise awareness, she posted a video on TikTok that quickly went viral, bringing in donations of books for the vending machines while inspiring viewers to get involved. After earning $20,000 in grant money and collecting donations through social media, Araba began partnering with local book banks to get the vending machines set up across the city and Baltimore County.

There are many other ways to get involved and make a difference! Check out the End Book Deserts resource guide, organized by state, to see what efforts are currently being made in your community.

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Forbes EQ BrandVoice: Poverty Impedes Children's Education Long Before They Enter The Classroom - Here's How We Can Change That

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Within the United States, education is commonly regarded as an equalizer to opportunity and upward mobility. In reality, there are countless impediments in the system that exclude low-income children from reaping the full benefits of education long before they enter the classroom. Education starts well before a child enters the classroom.

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California State University EastBay Scholars

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The U magazine article by Jane Murcia brings to light the effects of socioeconomic status on the development of children as young as 5. More importantly, how the health of children is directly connected to income. The study was done by UCLA researchers using the EDI. Which is the Early Development Instrument (EDI), an assessment tool that measures children’s physical, social, emotional, and language development. The study was also governed with the assistance of kindergarten teachers. These individuals interact with children on a day-to-day basis so they tend to have a better gauge of children's development. With their specific insight, there was a raised awareness that minority students who also lived in lower SES faced greater health inequities than their white counterparts(Murcia, 2021). 98 school districts in the U.S were involved in this study administering the EDI to more than 185,000 kindergarteners from 2010 to 2017. “ The investigators found that 30% of children in the lowest-income neighborhoods were vulnerable in one or more domains of health development, compared to 17% of children in higher-income settings (Murcia, 2021).” This also was correlated with race within these groups. Children in minority groups were affected greater being in lower-income neighborhoods (Pickett, 2018).

This shows the complexity of how different factors can come together and create a bigger influence. With the help of daycares and developmental programs, the effects of socioeconomic status can be minimized within minority groups. Getting children out of these environments can bring them more positive influences. “Only by addressing the historical exploitation and exclusion of marginalized communities can we begin to repair the pains and exploitative practices of the past and redesign our community systems so that all children thrive,” says Efren Aguilar, head of geographic information systems at the center. The study brings encouragement of the future and new possibilities. Having more emphasis on creating a stronger foundation at the beginning of childhood. These influences mentioned above have an impact before children even start school. So the hope is to bring help to these cities that have fewer resources and develop targeted supports and services.

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Arikan, G., Kumru, A., Korkut, B., & Ilhan, A. O. (2019). Examining Toddlers’ Problem Behaviors: The Role of SES, Parenting Stress, Perceived Support and Negative Intentionality. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(12), 3467–3478.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01529-y

Berry, D., Blair, C., Willoughby, M., Garrett-Peters, P., Vernon-Feagans, L., & Mills-Koonce, W.R. (2016). Household chaos and children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development in early childhood: Does childcare play a buffering role? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 34, 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.09.003

Boutte, G., Lopez-Robertson, J., & Powers-Costello, E. (2011). Moving beyond colorblindness in early childhood classrooms. Early Childhood Development 39, 335-342.  http://doi-org.proxlib.csueastbay.edu/10.1007/s10643-011-0457-x

Chaudry, & Wimer, C. (2016). Poverty is not just an indicator: The relationship between income, Poverty, and child well-being. Academic Pediatrics, 16(3), S23–S29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2015.12.010

Evans, Gary, W. (2004). The environment of childhood poverty. The American Psychologist, 59(2), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.2.77

Farago, F., Sanders, K., & Gaias, L. (2015). Addressing race and racism in early childhood: Challenges and opportunities. Advances in Early Education and Day Care, 19, 29-66. http://doi:10.1108/S0270-402120150000019004

Howes, C., & James, J. (2002). Children’s social development within the socialization context of childcare and early childhood education. In P. Smith & C. Hart (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of childhood social development (pp. 137–155). Blackwell Publishers.

Hughes, D., Rodriguez, J., Smith, E. P., Johnson, D. J., Stevenson, H. C., & Spicer, P. (2006). Parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices: a review of research and directions for future study. Developmental psychology, 42(5), 747

Kochanska. (2001). Emotional Development in Children with Different Attachment Histories: The First Three Years. Child Development, 72(2), 474–490. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00291

Lee, K., Quinn, P.C., and Pascalis, O. (2017). Face race processing and racial bias in early development: A perceptual-social linkage. Current Directions in Psychological Science,   26(3), 256-262.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417690276

Lindblom, J., Punamaki, R.L.,  Flykt, M., Vanska, M., Nummi, T., Sinkkonen, J. & Titinen, A.M. (2016). Early family relationships predict children’s emotional regulation and defense mechanisms. SAGE Open,6(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016681393

Lugo-Gil, J. & Tamis-LeMonda, C.S. (2008). Family resources and parenting quality: Links to children’s cognitive development across the first 3 years. Child Development 79(4), 1065-1085.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18717907/#:~:text=doi%3A%2010.1111/j.1467%2D86 24.2008.01176.x.

Nampijja, Kizindo, R., Apule, B., Lule, S., Muhangi, L., Titman, A., Elliott, A., Alcock, K., & Lewis, C. (2018). The role of the home environment in neurocognitive development of children living in extreme poverty and with frequent illnesses: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Family and Economic Issues  (40) 1-7

McCrory, C., Fiorito, G., Ni Cheallaigh, C., Polidoro, S., Karisola, P., Alenius, H., Layte, R., Seeman, T., Vineis, P., & Kenny, R. A. (2019). How does socio-economic position (SEP) get biologically embedded? A comparison of allostatic load and the epigenetic clock(s). Psychoneuroendocrinology, 104, 64–73 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.018

Pasian, Benitez, P., & Lacharité, C. (2020). Child neglect and poverty: A Brazilian study. Children and Youth Services Review, 108, 104655–. 1-7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104655

Petterson, & Albers, A. B. (2001). Effects of poverty and maternal depression on early child development. Child Development, 72(6), 1794–1813.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00379

Prickett, K. C. (2018). Nonstandard Work Schedules, Family Dynamics, and Mother–Child Interactions During Early Childhood. Journal of Family Issues, 39(4), 985–1007. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X16684893

Robertson, N. M., Kayongo, A., Siddharthan, T., Pollard, S. L., Villalobos, J. G., Ladd-Acosta, C., Kirenga, B., & Checkley, W. (2019). The role of epigenetics in respiratory health in urban populations in low and middle-income countries. Global Health, Epidemiology and Genomics, 4. https://doi.org/10.1017/gheg.2019.7

Schmidt, K. L., Merrill, S. M., Gill, R., Miller, G. E., Gadermann, A. M., & Kobor, M. S. (2021). Society to cell: How child poverty gets “Under the Skin” to influence child development and lifelong health. Developmental Review, 61, 100983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2021.100983

Setoh, P., Lee, K.J.J., Zhang, L., Quian, M.K., Heyman, G.D., & Lee, K. (2019). Racial    categorization predicts implicit racial bias in preschool children. Child Development,   90(1), 162-179.  https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12851

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Jordan Langs (2022) shines light on the educational gap between low-income children and children from wealthier families (n.p.). This divide occurs long before children reach kindergarten. In the years 0-5, children’s brains are rapidly developing and require stimulation for cognition. However, most low-income parents lack the resources to fund enrollment in preschool. Consequently, the early education of their children becomes their sole responsibility.

Compounding this problem, are the poverty-related stressors low-income parents face that negatively impact quality time with their children. Few parental resources mean low-income children lack the educational books, toys, and access to public materials required for learning (Pasian & Lacharite 2020).  Impoverished neighborhoods often do not have public libraries or if one is available, it is often underfunded with limited hours of operation. To emphasis this point, Langs cites a study by Harvard University that compares the ratio of age-appropriate books per child in low- and middle-income neighborhoods. The ratio in low-income neighborhoods is 1 book per 300 children. The middle-income ratio is 13 books per child (Lang, 2022, n.p.) (Evans 2004). The inability to attend preschool not only undermines the education of low-income children but their healthy socialization. These deficits have far-reaching, lifetime consequences. Without a solid educational and social foundation, children from low-income families often lack opportunities and upward mobility later in life

Langs offers ways communities can help narrow the educational gap for low-income children. The priority is to supply books and educational materials to impoverished parents of young children. New or used books or literacy kits of educational materials can be donated to organizations that support low-income families. Individuals, schools, organizations, and businesses can organize book drives. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that supports the creation of free libraries in all communities. Finally, Langs encourages her readers to speak out against the educational gap faced by low-income children by contacting their government officials. (Langs, 2022, n.p.). Jordan Langs is a contributing writer for Forbes magazine.

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Social and emotional development in early childhood is influenced by both biology and experiences. Genes provide “instructions” for our bodies, while experiences affect how and whether the instructions are carried out (McCrory et al., 2019). Children’s early experiences and social context include interactions with caregivers—parents, other family members, childcare providers, teachers—and their environment (Lindblom et al., 2016). The brain develops rapidly in early childhood; the quality of early experiences can lay either a strong or weak foundation, affecting how children react and respond to the world around them for the rest of their lives. The study of how factors such as race, SES, and gender individually and intersectionally affect a child’s social development is intended as a source to support teachers and caregivers.

The discussion on developing a curriculum that can engage and encourage conversations about race and culture is critical since children spend considerable time at school. The time at school affords opportunities to begin formulating and questioning their initial understandings of race. Otherwise, it is likely that they will develop the rudiments of racism (Boutte et al.,2011). There is considerable research that shows children from lower SES households with challenging family dynamics or those who enter school programs speaking little or no English are highly vulnerable to chronic academic underachievement and lack of social development (Lugo-Gil & Tamis-LeMonda, 2008). The findings from our study will help teachers and caregivers who work with such a population of students. We also find that social support can be an important factor in mitigating children’s externalizing problem behaviors for children from low-SES families where the caregivers (particularly mothers) have high stress (Petterson & Albers, 2015).  Hence, providing adequate social support would help address the long-term repercussions of a child’s problem behaviors (Arikan et al., 2019).

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Welcome to the group 1 presentation.  We are exploring the different factors that influence socialization in children.  Our group consists of 4 members: Neha Pande, Mariah Hart, Phyllis Doria, and Shirley Kosta.  We were lucky to have a member of our group work as a preschool teacher. Neha, who hails from beautiful San Luis Obispo, was very helpful to this project with her insight into child socialization. Neha is a mom and loves to garden.  She has a plethora of fruits and vegetables she tends to in her spare time.  Neha is interested in Human Development because as a preschool teacher she knows the value of socialization. Phyllis lives in the Eastbay and is going back to school after a delay of raising children and supporting them.  Phyllis is planning to graduate this spring.  Her passion are the challenges faced by marginalized people. She likes to tickle the ivories in her spare time.  This is Mariah’s second year at Cal State Eastbay.  Mariah works full time while attending school and has a sweet job.  She works for a bakery and decorates cakes and cupcakes.  Mariah starts her day at 4:30 with a workout at the gym for her mental and physical motivation.  Shirley also lives in the Eastbay and is going back to school after a delay. She too is graduating this spring.  Her main love after her husband, children and grandchildren is her 3 dogs.  She got two of them during COVID while working from home, now they control her life. Shirley plans to tutor after graduation.

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This collaborative journey began with the broad subject of early childhood social development. Early brainstorming narrowed this topic to the effects of childhood poverty on socialization.  However, class readings and research soon highlighted the complexity of socialization and the myriad influences that can affect it. Each group member was drawn to one of these contributing factors. Further research cemented an understanding of how each individual topic intersects with the others. This eventually led to a cohesive whole.

Socioeconomic status (SES) and development are intertwined. Children in poor families have a greater chance of growing up experiencing neighborhood violence, environmental toxins, and family stress. These experiences can hinder development. Parents in poverty are often under stress and lack the time and resources to encourage early childhood learning and social development (Nampijja et al., 2018).  Long-term poverty has been linked to insecure attachments, little parental engagement, and harsh discipline. These negatively affect how children think of themselves and engage with others (Chaudry & Wimer 2016).

Intersections of race and SES in early childhood can have a lasting impact on a child’s social development. Family markers of race, class, and home language influence childcare selection which affects childhood experiences. The children in Head Start programs have different patterns of interactive social styles than children in preschool programs available in more affluent suburbs (Howes & James, 2002). Cultural socialization, the transmittal of information, values, and racial/ethnic perspectives from parent to child depend on SES and education. For example, higher-income Blacks are more likely to provide an Afrocentric home environment than their lower-income counterparts. This leads to higher self-esteem, and healthy socialization of children (Hughes et al., 2006)

As children of color disproportionately grow up in poverty, racial bias in early childhood drew interest. Research challenges the assumption that very young children are “color blind” and lack racial awareness. Rather, children become racially aware in infancy (Farago et al., 2015). However, rigidity in early childhood categorizing can contribute to prejudice. Indirect messaging about ethnicity and race in preschool classrooms can reinforce stereotypical beliefs (Setoh, et al., 2019).  Children of color are negatively impacted by the discrimination they face, making an anti-bias curriculum in preschool critical.

Long-term poverty can result in epigenetic changes or the way the body reads DNA sequences. These changes occur in unsafe, impoverished environments without access to clean water, sanitation, and stable housing (Robertson et al.,2019). Studies indicate there is a relationship between a child’s biological embodiment and the social-economic adversity they experience. The epigenetics of a low-income child can result in a higher lifetime burden of diseases and morbidity (Schmidt et al.,2021).

Family dynamics intersect with race and class and influence early socialization. Children in structured households spend more time in daycare with enriched experiences. Low SES households may be chaotic (Berry 2016, 115). Preschool minimizes the adverse effects of household disorganization. This supports executive functioning, an important mechanism underlying cognition and social adjustment. Additionally, caregivers are responsible for teaching diversity and disrupting prejudicial attitudes. Early childhood socialization and cognition benefit from a stable home with all adults contributing to the child’s upbringing (Kochanska, 2001, p.482).

This group project concludes with a clear understanding that early childhood socialization is like a mathematical Venn diagram. Socioeconomic status, race, family dynamics, and epigenetics intersect and influence positive or negative early socialization outcomes.

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Poverty Through The Eyes Of Children (BAFTA Award-Winning Documentary) | Our Life

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Factors that influence Child Development

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Factors that influence Child Development

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Anti-bias lessons help preschoolers hold up a mirror to diversity